I often mention in my blog posts about the notes that I make at the beginning of a book, when I am searching for inspiration and ideas. But what are these notes that I make and talk of, what do they actually say? How do other authors make notes and plan out their books? Whether it’s a few lines, a flow chart, or whole paragraphs, I thought I would share some of my notes in this blog post and I will provide examples of other authors too. Each author has their own process or opinion of note taking and planning. During the research for this blog post, I have even found that there is some controversy on the subject!
Let’s start at the beginning. A story will begin as an idea. An idea that will have come from somewhere: a conversation, a podcast, real life, a newspaper article etc. The idea will build momentum as I begin to visualise what a book with this idea could be. Then more ideas build on the first. This is when I will start writing something down, not knowing exactly where these words will fit or if they even will. Whatever I am thinking about becomes bigger than my capacity to remember, so it becomes necessary to store them somewhere, till I am ready to start.
Usually these thoughts come to me when I am not actively focused on a task or even thinking about the book, such as walking, showering, drifting off to sleep. As they form I must write them down. At the first opportunity I will take my phone and write the gist of whatever I am thinking down in a new memo. If I don’t have my phone then I will use pen and paper. If there is a lot of dialogue, a number of ideas then I will take one of my note books kept on my bedside table and fill a few pages till the idea and inspiration has run out of steam. Other authors use apps, record their thoughts or use a laptop.
These notes can be a word, a sentence or two, dialogue or a scene which I will flesh out later. All I need to do is get the words out of my head and onto something that I can refer back to.
“Use this point in the process as an info dump’.”
Helen Scheuerer: Everything You Need to Know About Planning Your Novel
Below are some examples from my phone:
Then when I am ready to start writing, I will write a one page plan of the story. It is sort of like a flow chart with arrows leading from one idea to the next, one plot line to the next. This outline helps me to keep a focus of where my story is going and where it will end up.
Example of my outline for the next book:
Here are some more examples of outlines by James Salter, JK Rowling and Henry Miller, taken from an article in the Daily Mail: Losing the plot
The sections will create the very first chapters my story will be divided into. When I begin writing on the laptop, my story will be divided into seven or eight folders, determined by these sections/plot lines. Once I have written more of the story, there will be more chapters. All the notes I had written prior, get dumped into one of the folders depending where it belongs, to be incorporated or deleted, when I come to actually write that part.
“Ninety per cent of novelists asked will say that they don’t plan, and they will often follow that up with a comment that implies planning would somehow take the fun/creativity out of the process for them.”
Sophie Hannah: Why and How I Plan my Novels
Personally, I see the fun/creativity part as the very beginning of a book: an idea that becomes one, two, three ideas, when the story begins living in my head, when it is a possibility that can be developed. The words have to be written at some point, whether you add them earlier or later they still end up in the same place.
But some writers disagree, feeling that a plan can be too restrictive:
“If it helps you get started, keep it. But if it’s keeping you from going new places in your writing, try another approach with your next project. Start writing. Write wherever you are in the story, whatever you know, whether it’s beginning, middle or end.”
NY Book Editors: Planning To Outline Your Novel? Don’t
I cannot imagine writing a story with no idea where I am going to end up. I need to plan out my story for a number of reasons. I need to know a brief beginning, middle and end so that I know where I am going and where the book will end. I don’t want to lose the thread and go off on a tangent, ramble and write far too many words or reach half way through and realise I don’t know what happens next. This does happen.
“Trust the process. Trust the story. Ask yourself and then what happened? Turn the page and keep writing.”
NY Book Editiors: Planning To Outline Your Novel? Don’t
Linda Eckhardt
But what if you can’t? A plan helps to keep focus, organised, committed. It helps to concentrate on the story whilst my (usually) subconscious mind makes the magic happen, letting my mind wander through a flow of words, that somehow turns those ideas into a ‘proper’ story. It’s the flesh on the bones of the outline, thousands and thousands of words. There is no way a 500 – 600 word plan or a few thousand notes can stifle this creativity.
Just because I know the end of the story doesn’t take the fun out of it. The fun happens when I am working my way towards the end, throwing more twists and turns as the story goes along. When I read back over a paragraph and know it is brilliant. Just because there is a plan doesn’t mean that a writer should start at the beginning. I usually start somewhere in the middle at the most exciting plot line because I have thought, planned and visualised this part the most.
Making notes and a plan that have come from your own creative mind cannot be a bad thing. Its only bad if the plan stalls you from writing. Some people just write and get stuck in. Some people need a plan. I can’t imagine just writing and see where I end up, but I guess some people can. Writing is an individual creative expression and you have to do what works best for you.
It could be said that a plan for a book can stifle creativity but I believe that a plan can also engage creativity.